Waiting On Dance of Shadows

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating!

This week I am excited for...

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . 
Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . . . (From Goodreads)

A book about ballet!  If I had any actual talent, I would have loved to be a ballerina.  I'll have to settle for reading about it.  Look at the cover!  And ballerinas!  And danger!  And boy drama!  Eeek!

Dance of Shadows is out February 12th, 2013!  Get excited!  And sorry for all the exclamation marks.

Much love, Samantha

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies over at

The Broke And The Bookish!

This week, the topic is...
Top Ten Bookish Goals For 2013

Have I ever mentioned I hate making goals for myself?  It brings back repressed childhood memories, believe it or not.

1. Read 52 new books.  This goal should be easy.  Last year I read 100 new books + some re-reads.  However, I spent most of my summer unemployed.  This year, I don't intend to repeat that, and I need to pick my grades up a little.  A book a week is a reasonable pace for me right now.
2. Finish A Tale of Two Cities.  This book has been 42% complete for a long time now.
3. Finish another classic book.  Although it may be something easier to read than A Tale of Two Cities.
4. Buy a new bookcase.  The one at my parent's house is literally overflowing, and I have several towers forming at school.
5. Use the library.  I actually don't live far from my library, but I never seem to actually go.  This should be changed.
6. Read The Fault in Our Stars.  No explanation needed.  Plus my roommate just bought it.
7. Read a textbook.  Ha, no.
8. Read more from this "new adult" craze.  I have opinions, but I feel like I should delve deeper into this "genre" before getting too rant-y.
9. Stop forcing myself to read stuff I cannot stand.  I'm bad for thinking that a series will get better.  They often don't.  A DNF is okay every once and a while.

Okay, nine is all I can come up with.  What are your bookish goals for 2013?

Much love, Samantha

Coffee Talk: Is A Capella Actually A Thing?

If you haven't watched Pitch Perfect yet, I suggest that you get on that.  This movie is pure awesome and incredibly fun to watch.  While watching it though, four things kept going through my head...

Number one, their dorm rooms are so much nicer than mine was.  Their rooms are bright and spacious and nice.  Mine was small, dark and cold.  My walls were cinder blocks and wood paneling.  I will admit, my dorm looked like a castle/fort.  We used to joke that we lived at Hogwarts.  Sadly, our rooms still sucked, which made me wish I could redo it with the rooms from this movie...  And they never go to class.  That would be nice.

Number two, this cast was great.  Anna Kendricks (Beca) was great.  Skyler Astin (Jesse) can seriously sing, and is quite attractive.  Guys, can you say Zachary Levi doppelganger !?!  Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy) is hilarious.  There wasn't a single character I did not enjoy.  Credit to the casting directors for this film.

Number three is my only complaint.  There is a significant lack of character development and back story.  Obviously you can't expect a ton in a movie under 2 hours long, but I would have liked more.  Basically all we see is a tiny bit of development in Beca and Aubrey, and virtually no back story on anyone.  I think that may have elevated the story a bit.  Luckily, the music and comedy held it's own.


Number four is a question.  Is A Capella actually a thing?  It definitely isn't at my school.  I can't sing to save my life, but I just want to know.  A Capella competitions probably exist, but seriously?  I just want to know how much this is exaggerated.

Pitch Perfect is a new favourite of mine (I watched it three times in the first 24 hours I had it...).  Given my dislike for Glee, I really didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.  If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted comedy, check it out!

Much love, Samantha

Book Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Published June 14th, 2011
Egmont USA
390 pages (Hardcover)

One hour to rewrite the past . . . 

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened? (From Goodreads)

What took me so long to read this?!?!  Hourglass has an interesting take on time travel, a plot that managed to confuse and fascinate me, and some interesting characters.

I love time travel.  I think it's really interesting, but I am glad it's not scientifically possible (yet *shifty eyes*). No one needs to be travelling through time and messing with the past.  That's exactly what happens in Hourglass.  There was some serious meddling going down.

I'm not a huge fan of Emerson.  On one hand, she could easily kick my ass with her awesome martial art skills.  On the other hand, I just did not find her likable.  I'm not suggesting that she was a poorly written character, but simply that she didn't possess the qualities I look for in strong protagonists.  Beyond flipping Michael once, correct me if I'm wrong, I can't recall her ever actually using her badass-ness in any way.

Speaking of Michael, there may have been some insta-lust there.  I knew from the second he was introduced that I would be a fan of his.  I don't know how to explain why, but I do like his character.

At times I got a little annoyed, because it felt like the story was being dragged on.  Time travel is complicated, but I got a little confused when Michael would be explaining something, then drop the topic and suggest Emerson come back to it later.  Seriously, spit it out.

Overall, if you haven't done so yet, give Hourglass a read.  With a different take on time travel, I enjoyed the story, and plan to read Timepiece soon!

Much love, Samantha

December Favourites

It's a little late, but these are a few of my favourite things for the month of December!

Favourite Read: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

(Honourable Mentions go to Pushing The Limits and Daughter of Smoke & Bone)

Favourite Song: They Don't Know About Us by One Direction

Favourite Failed Recipe: Snickers Caramel Apple Salad.  I may have screwed up the apple-to-whipped cream ratio.  How I managed to mess this up continues to confuse me.

Favourite Christmas Moment: The ongoing battle that is playing cards with my family.  We all get a little competitive.

Favourite Caffienated Beverage: Grande Nonfat Caramel Brulle Latte with whip from Starbucks.

Favourite Gift I Gave: An assortment of Bath and Body Works treats for my mom, who works amazingly hard and deserves to pamper herself.

Favourite Gift I Recieved: Hockey tickets (even if we lost the game...) and books.

Favourite Memory of 2012: No clue.  It was such a roller coaster year, and I'm excited for 2013!

Much love, Samantha

Waiting On Shades of Earth

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating!

This week I am excited for...

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship, Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.ALMOST HOME. (From Goodreads)

I'm so exciting for the conclusion to Beth Revis' trilogy.  I really like the mixture of science fiction and mystery, and can't wait to see what Elder and Amy get themselves into next.  If you haven't read Across The Universe (review) and A Million Suns (review) yet, I recommend checking them out.

Shades of Earth is out January 15th, 2013.

Much love, Samantha

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Resolve To Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies over at

The Broke And The Bookish!

This week, the topic is...
Top Ten Books I Resolve To Read in 2013

This is an interesting topic, only because I have no idea how to answer it.  I generally just read whatever I feel like in the moment, with little to no planning, unless I have to review something in particular.

The Fault In Our Stars- John Green

I have yet to read this.  Don't hate me.

A Tale of Two Cities- Charles Dickens

I have been slowly working on this for almost a year now.  It needs to be finished.

My Life Next Door- Huntley Fitzpatrick

I need to track this down and devour it!

Wanderlove- Kirsten Hubbard

See above.

Something by Maria V. Snyder

Anything, really.  I've never read any of her books.

Something by Neil Gaimen

See above.

Tilt- Ellen Hopkins

This is more of a "resolve to finish".  I started it, then school happened.

Graceling by Kristen Cashmore

Potentially badass heroine means instant appeal to me.

Heist Society- Ally Carter

People seem to like it?

Sloppy Firsts- Megan McCafferty

Must read this series!

Okay that's my list of random books I could think of!  What's on yours?

Much love, Samantha